Diversity and inclusion work

How can higher education better support diverse students and staff to fulfil their potential? Find advice on university diversity and inclusion policies and actions that open pathways into higher education to non-traditional students and support student success for diverse cohorts by building inclusive institutions. Plus, learn how to achieve greater diversity at every level of academia and make everyone feel they belong.

Indigenous voices in higher education graphic

Indigenous voices in higher education

How to bring Indigenous expertise and experience into university teaching, research, leadership and student support

Campus contributors

Campus

Students and support staff work together round a laptop

Work with students for an inclusive university culture

Inviting students into the process of making your university campus a more inclusive place can be transformative. Here’s how

Dana Abiltayeva , Ayana Batyrbayeva

Nazarbayev University

A group of students reading together

How can we embed Global South perspectives in GenAI teaching?

GenAI can accelerate learning, but if we aren’t careful, it can also reinforce colonial assumptions. Jasmine Mohsen explains how to avoid this

Jasmine Mohsen

SP Jain London School of Management

Microscope focusing light on a group of people

How to engage the public in research

Advice for fostering citizen science and public engagement in research

Campus contributors

Campus

Doctors of colour clasp hands in a circle

What underpins the success of a racial justice network?

A small online meeting of ethnic minority medical students in 2020 has now grown into a well established staff and student community. Here are six features that underpin its success

Kate Williams, Shameq Sayeed

University of Leicester

Human embracing AI in a handshake

Not faster but fairer: tame ‘techno-solutionism’ to build inclusive futures with AI

University leaders and academics must resist an open-armed embrace of AI and ask tough questions about who, really, is benefitting from its use in order to shape an inclusive future, writes Chie Adachi

Chie Adachi

Queen Mary University of London

Young Muslim female student in university classroom

What universities gain from involving displaced students in civic engagement

Civic action not only gives displaced students and refugees a sense of belonging and agency, it brings academic communities benefits such as cultural insight and leadership skills

Jonathan Becker, Zarlasht Sarmast

Bard College

University students celebrating their graduation

Rethinking neurodiversity in higher education

Strategies to embed neurodiversity support into teaching and assessment to unlock talent and drive innovation across higher education

Patrice Seuwou

University of Northampton

A group of students discussing something on an iPad

Stop asking students to be the lesson and focus on choice and consent

When students are asked to share personal stories to illustrate lessons, the emotional cost can outweigh the educational gain. Aasiya Satia explores how consent-based pedagogy can create safer, more equitable classrooms for all students

Aasiya Satia

McMaster University

A Black artist holds a paintbrush out to the camera

Helping Black students thrive in art education

How to make art school a welcoming, inclusive environment for Black students, and support them into artistic careers

Emily Moore

Royal College of Art

Students laugh over a coffee

How to help autistic students adjust to life on campus

With autistic students’ drop-out rate spiking, here’s how to help them ease into their university career, allow for neurodiversity-friendly socialising and reduce their anxiety with a furry friend

Tabitha Biller

De Montfort University

A group of people having a discussion at a table

Foster allyship to support marginalised groups in higher education

How to initiate change, create safe spaces for difficult conversations and nurture a culture of allyship in your department

Reuel Blair, Tizzy Gill

Nottingham Trent University, Birmingham City University

An illustrated image depicting two groups of people arguing with each other headed by a leader holding a megaphone

Dealing with division: the polarised university

How can universities encourage respectful disagreement, empathy and compassion while handling sensitive topics with care and protecting academic freedom – keeping higher education open, inclusive and intellectually rigorous?

Campus contributors, Laura Duckett

Campus

School taskers hosting a session

Snails, Jaffa Cakes and rubber ducks: making university outreach playful

Outreach initiatives like School Tasking show how academics can break down barriers, engage young learners, and make higher education feel accessible rather than intimidating

Ali Struthers, Alex Horne

The University of Warwick

A supervisor and PhD student having a meeting

Reimagining PhD supervision through allyship, creativity and decolonising practice

How a creative, person-centred and decolonising approach to PhD supervision can transform outcomes for postgraduate researchers from diverse and non-traditional backgrounds

Ursula Hurley

University of Salford

A library with a group of students having a discussion at a table

How to design learning experiences to heal division

How inclusive, collaborative learning can turn classrooms into trusting communities that leverage tension to promote learning and growth

Chiedza Mutsaka Skyum

Independent academic

AI assistance concept illustration

AI as an access tool for neurodiverse and international staff

Used transparently and ethically, GenAI can level the playing field and lower the cognitive load of repetitive tasks for admin staff, student support and teachers

Vanessa Mar-Molinero

University of Southampton

A candidate shakes hands with an interviewer

Let’s rethink recruitment for an inclusive university culture

Recruitment remains rooted in tradition – but this could be more detrimental to an inclusive culture than we think. Here’s how to tweak the process to allow every candidate to show what they can do

Rachael Cornwall

Buckinghamshire New University

Multiracial group of university graduands

Embracing superdiversity: a concrete path for universities

The richness of an academic community lies in connecting people of different backgrounds, approaches and perspectives. But this does not happen by chance; it requires intentionality, vision and daily commitment, writes Francesco Billari

Francesco Billari

Bocconi University

Students working together in a classroom

Three easy tweaks to make your teaching autism-friendly

Autistic students have the highest university dropout rate of any disability group. What can teaching staff do about it?

Cora Beth Fraser

The Open University

Students laugh around a laptop

Show, not just say, that your institution is a place for everyone

Put belonging at the heart of your diversity and inclusion strategy. Here’s how a fund for inclusive projects put money and strategy behind words

Moni Akinsanya

Liverpool John Moores University

Young female medical researcher with elderly female patient

How to conduct research involving people who may not have capacity to consent for themselves

Studies involving people who may not be able to provide their own consent to take part in research can be daunting. These practical tips offer a guide to ethical and inclusive research with this population

Victoria Shepherd, Anna Anderson, Amy M. Russell

Cardiff University, University of Leeds

Spotlight guide Teaching and researching across international borders

Teaching and researching across international borders

How to support a global higher education system in which international students and academics work and learn alongside peers from all over the world

Campus contributors

Campus

Students observe art in a gallery

How to reshape your curriculum to fight misogyny

Embed critical art and media literacy into your students’ learning and equip them with the tools to understand and question the misogynistic ideologies that persist in society. Here are six strategies to do so

Katarzyna Kosmala

University of the West of Scotland

Symbol for gender-neutral toilet

Navigating conflicting DEI needs for the benefit of all

Equity, diversity and inclusion work is complicated when one group’s rights to dignity and privacy challenge another’s sense of comfort and security. Here, Cynthia Williams offers strategies to address these tensions

Cynthia Williams

University of Northern British Columbia

An octopus

An octopus with three hearts: how to approach PhD supervision

Instead of thinking of PhD supervision as a fixed method, be aware that it flows and changes. These four principles can help nurture a flexible and adaptive journey to a PhD

Setenay Dilek Fidler

University of Westminster

Multiracial group of students

Greeting first-year university students with ‘structured serendipity’

Students start university with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. Institutions should address that emotional landscape early – to help incoming cohorts adjust to newfound independence, discover what it takes to succeed academically and find their place to belong

Stephen Biscotte

Virginia Tech

An AI helps a student learn

GenAI’s personalised learning could be a game-changer for disabled and neurodivergent students

Using GenAI to provide a truly learner-centric approach to both online and in-person learning could make a real difference to disabled and neurodivergent students. Here’s how

Lynne Beveridge, Melody Terras, Graham Scott, Naeem Ramzan

University of the West of Scotland

Bicultural competence

How to prepare graduates for a bicultural and global future

Embedding Indigenous perspectives into curriculum requires more than symbolic gestures. Here’s how universities can move from compliance to transformation – and the practical steps we’ve learned from our journey

Joce Nuttall, Liz Brown

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

Fashion students in a studio

Designing inclusive welcome experiences in creative education

In creative education, where students’ confidence in identity and self-expression are central, their question at induction might not be ‘Where’s my timetable?’ but ‘Do I belong?’ This consideration is key for universities welcoming diverse cohorts

Sachan Williams

University of the Arts London

podcast graphic

Campus talks: getting back to the basics of equity, diversity and inclusion in higher education

Two US experts in EDI discuss how universities can continue to support and advance equality of opportunity in the face of mounting challenges to ‘diversity’ work

Paulette Granberry Russell, Frank Dobbin

National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, Harvard University

Multiracial group of university students

The transfer student advantage: soft skills in motion

Transfer students bring more than credits to their new institution; they come with resilience, self-advocacy and real-world experience. With soft skills more essential than ever, it’s time to see these learners not as behind the curve but ahead of the game

Lauren Thomas

Virginia Tech

Young black woman before panel during job interview

The challenge of building a diverse faculty in a world that has turned on diversity

In improving recruitment and retention of faculty from under-represented groups, universities can learn strategies from the corporate world – and let go of contentious remedies that do not work

Frank Dobbin, Alexandra Kalev

Harvard University, Tel Aviv University

Woman pushing doors across a zebra crossing while another watches

What next for EDI? Protecting equality of opportunity in HE

As equity, diversity and inclusion practices face mounting political and cultural challenges, this guide includes strategies from academics around the world on preserving fair access and opportunity for all

Laura Duckett, Campus contributors

Campus

A teacher having a discussion with students

How to protect inclusive educational practices in increasingly hostile environments

Grassroots strategies for sustaining inclusive teaching and learning practices amid shrinking resources and growing hostility, focusing on course design, pedagogy and proactive advocacy

Liz Owens Boltz, Brittany Dillman

Michigan State University

Balloons, meritocracy concept illustration

EDI is meritocracy – why is that hard to understand?

Equity, diversity and inclusion is misunderstood when it is seen as valuing identity instead of skill within the systems that determine academic career progression. But it is in the sector’s interest to recognise and support talent, no matter what it looks like, writes Brooke Szücs

Brooke Szücs

The University of Queensland

Identity threat concept

How universities can move from DEI backlash to breakthrough

Identity threat – when individuals or groups feel devalued – can undermine equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. But if universities reframe this conflict, it can result in growth and new perspectives, write Camellia Bryan and Brent Lyons

Camellia Bryan, Brent Lyons

University of British Columbia, York University

Protestors on the Stand Up to Racism & Facism march in London in 2015

A common enemy approach to anti-racism in higher education

We need to rethink how we understand and advance anti-racism work in universities, treating racism as ‘our common enemy’ and adopting a unified approach to tackling it, writes Paul Miller

Paul Miller

The Institute for Equity, University Centre

“Office hours reimagined.” Image by Bryan Mathers of Visual Thinkery

Doing DEI when you can’t use the ‘D’, the ‘E’ or the ‘I’ word

‘DEI is dead, long live DEI!’ How to resist attacks on DEI, develop deep resilience and reimagine and reform your practice with kindness

Eamon Costello , Wajeehah Aayeshah

Dublin City University, University of Melbourne

Young happy Indian woman on a couch

Should university admissions decisions rely on academic performance?

If higher education wants to evolve its role beyond gatekeepers of knowledge to true engines of development, institutions need to rethink student readiness and recruitment processes

Rahim Somani

University of Northern British Columbia

University students starting college

The evolution of student onboarding

On-demand, just-in-time digital onboarding can help students filter the vast array of information they receive when they start university, and set them up for success

Cory Elfrink

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

Hands clasp in a circle

‘There is no workaround to this moment – we are all targets’

The attacks on DEI and academic freedom show higher education needs to come together, build collaborations and stand firm. Here’s how

Mike Gavin

Delta College

STEM students in a lab

Four ways to boost diversity in environmental science

The barriers to STEM subjects start long before students apply. From rigid entry requirements to a lack of representation, here are four, with practical ways to build a more inclusive environmental science pipeline

Abby Onencan

The University of East Anglia

Spotlight graphic for How to build belonging at your institution

How to build belonging at your institution

Advice and strategies for creating a university campus where all students and staff feel accepted, valued and respected

Eliza Compton, Campus contributors

Campus

Two Maori women in a meeting

Easing students into higher education at the shallow end

The culture shock of starting university can be acute for those who left school early or who are returning to study after years in the workforce. Here, Gareth Morgan explains a programme that sets students up for success

Gareth Morgan

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

Students working together in library

Redesigning the university library for creating and collaborating

University libraries are no longer just places of study, they are places of discovery, innovation and community. Patrick Tomlin discusses redesigning academic libraries to meet the ways that students and faculty learn and research

Patrick Tomlin

Virginia Tech

podcast graphic

Campus talks: university libraries – and librarians – that are leading the change

Learn about the efforts of US librarians to protect valuable public data from sudden erasure by the Trump administration and a pioneering project which saw a UK university partner with a local council to create a joint library that is open to anyone

David Green, Lynda Kellam

University of Worcester, University of Pennsylvania

Young female student at laptop

Empowering academics for greater student success

Student success initiatives traditionally focus just on the students. Empowering academics with effective engagement tools opens another pathway for scaling up success

Kaylene Sampson

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

A toilet cubicle

Equality on campus starts in the toilets

With diversity, equity and inclusion policies under threat, there’s a simple and cost-effective change universities can make for a trans-inclusionary, accessible campus

Deanna Grant-Smith , Anne Hewitt , Loki Maelorin, Chisom Ihekwaba

University of Adelaide, University of the Sunshine Coast

Students working as a group in the library

The library’s role in reducing the attainment gap

Read about strategies aimed at closing attainment gaps, such as peer mentoring, inclusive resources and academic skills training to support students

Multiple authors

Nottingham Trent University